The instant invention relates to furniture constructions, and more particularly to a ready to assemble furniture construction including a frameless, yet self-supporting panel member which forms the structural support for the furniture construction.
Ready to assemble furniture constructions have heretofore been known in the art. While the existing furniture constructions are effective, there are a number of drawbacks which prevents them from having a major presence in the mass market. In general, the key to a successful ready to assemble furniture construction is to have the highest perceived value at the lowest possible cost. One factor which has added to the cost of prior systems is that furniture requires some sort of rigid structural member for support. The prior art has primarily relied on wood or metal frames to provide that rigidity. However, wood and metal frames are expensive, and they are difficult to design so that they collapse effectively for storage and shipping. Another drawback relating to wood and metal frame ready to assemble furniture is that the construction usually requires tools to assemble and disassemble the frame at the point of set-up. Other prior art assemblies have been constructed from preformed sheet materials which are slotted and tabbed together to create lightweight inexpensive self-supporting structures. While these structures are extremely easy to manufacture and assemble, the bulky and crude aesthetic appearance of these prior designs has detracted from their widespread commercial acceptance. Accordingly, it is believed that a new and improved ready to assemble furniture construction system, including new types of structural members, is needed in the industry.
The instant invention provides a ready to assemble furniture construction, such as a chair, including frameless, self-supporting panel members which are expandable from a flat configuration into a self-supporting volumetric structure. In a preferred chair construction as described herein, a seat panel, back panel, and a skirt panel are secured to and supported between two, spaced panel members. The panel members, seat, panel, backrest panel, and skirt panel are secured together in a configuration which allows all of the panels to be folded in overlying relation such that the total thickness of the entire assembly, when collapsed, is only about one inch. Each of the panel members is constructed from two like-shaped flexible sheets which are secured together in a predetermined configuration that allows the sheets to expand from the flat configuration to their self-supporting volumetric form, and vice versa, from their volumetric form back to the flat configuration. Each of the sheets forming a panel member is generally square and has four linear peripheral edges which are secured together to form a closed panel structure. The most critical aspect of thc sheet configuration is the provision of selectively placed living hinges which allow the sheets to bend in a predefined configuration. More specifically, the sheets include arcuate, inwardly curved living hinges which extend along the length of each peripheral edge of the sheet. The living hinges divide the sheets into a central body portion and a plurality of edge portions extending along a corresponding peripheral edge. These living hinges give the sheets the ability to either lay flat or to "pop" out into a self-supporting volumetric form, as will hereinafter be described.
In use, the panel member is movable between a flat, collapsed condition, and an expanded, self-supporting volumetric condition. In the expanded condition, the central body portions of the sheets are flexed into a generally convex shape and maintained in spaced apart relation by the adjacent, hinged edge portions which are flexed inwardly into a generally concave shape. Expanding the panel structure from the flat condition to the expanded volumetric form is accomplished by simply pressing inwardly on the peripheral edges of the panel structure. Inward pressure forces the outer peripheral edges of the sheets inwardly, and forces the edge portions into a concave shape, i.e. so that the edge portions extend generally perpendicular to the connected body portion along the living hinges. The inward movement of the edge portions also flexes the central body portions apart and outwardly into their convex shape. The curved living hinges extending between the body portion and edge portions lock the structure in complementary self-supporting tension and compression to automatically maintain the shape of the structure. The resulting structure has tremendous strength in longitudinal compression. The panel member is collapsed back to its flat form by pressing the two sheets together, i.e. pressing inwardly in the middle of the central body portions. This motion relieves the forces on the living hinges allowing the edge portions to flex outwardly back to their relaxed position.
In the preferred chair structure as noted above, the rear edges of the panel members are attached to opposite side edges of the back panel. The back panel spaces the structural panel members apart so that they can form the supporting arms/legs of the chair. The rear edge of the seat panel is attached to the middle of the back panel, and the skirt panel is attached to the front edge of the seat panel. The seat and skirt panels are secured in position by strips of hook and pile fabrics which are provided on flaps on the side edges of both the seat and skirt panels, and the inner side walls of the panel members.
Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of a frameless, yet self-supporting structural panel member for use in ready to assemble furniture and other articles of construction; the provision of a frameless, yet self-supporting structural member formed from seamed sheet materials which are movable from a flat form to a volumetric form; the provision of a frameless, yet self-supporting structural panel formed from facing sheet materials having complementary living hinges; the provision of articles of construction which include the frameless structural panel members as structural support members; and the provision of ready to assemble furniture constructions including the frameless, self-supporting panel members as structural support members.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.